Have you heard of the game 2048? You can be forgiven if you haven't because it's certainly not a popular game on Android. It is however one of the top grossing free games on iOS. If you haven't tried it, I really recommend it. I have been playing non-stop daily and found it terribly hard to put it down.
The game's premise is really very simple. You swipe left, right, up and down, and the numbers in the box moves accordingly. However, when a number moves to a direction, if there is the same number next to it in the same direction, the numbers add up. And so the cycle goes that you try to keep adding the numbers up until you reach 2048, which is really not an easy feat, although it sounds simple enough.
The numbers 2 and 4 will appear at random every time you swipe in a direction. This 2 and 4 will eventually add up to 8, and then to 16, then 32, 64, 128, 256, 512, 1024 and the goal of the game 2048. The tricky part however is that you have to do it all in a grid of 4×4. That is a really small confined space to be moving so many numbered tiles, and sooner or later, you will run out of space and reach the inevitable Game Over screen. The goal of the game is to reach 2048 before you run out of space. Interestingly enough, once you reach the titular 2048, you can still continue chugging out higher powers of 2. The record, as far as I have heard, is that some crazy guy reached 2 to the power of 17.
I'll discuss the tips and tricks in another article, but you get the gist of the game right? It's one thing to get to 1024, but then you realize that hey, I have to actually make a second 1024, and then you sigh. That is the sort of gameplay that keeps you coming back for more, and swiping away till the sun sets. It is a brilliant number game that emphasizes strategy as much as luck and math skills.
You can't just close your eyes and swipe in any direction. Sure that is possible in the beginning, but once the numbers get higher, you have to actually concentrate. One wrong step and it's kinda hard to get back to where you want your numbers to be.
In the Android version, there is also a multiplayer mode that lets you challenge your friends to see who can get a higher score. The score is based loosely on the numbers that add up after every swipe. There is of course an online leaderboard for those of you who sign in to the Google Play services. There is also a timed mode that you can challenge your friends to. Basically, how high can you go in a certain time limit.
Beyond that, don't expect more. It is what it is: a wonderfully addictive numbers game that test your patience and tactical thinking. I highly recommend this to anyone who bothers to listen to me. 2048 is free after all, so definitely give it a try now!
